The Damnation Game

By Clive Barker,

Book cover of The Damnation Game

Book description

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"ONE OF THE BEST HORROR NOVELS IN A VERY LONG TIME...do not miss it!"-USA Today

There are things worse than death. There are games so seductively evil, so wondrously vile, no gambler can resist. Amid the shadow-scarred rubble of World War II, Joseph Whitehead dared…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked The Damnation Game as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Clive Barker is one of my favorite authors and greatly influenced me. This is his first novel but also, in my opinion, one of his best. I love books that blend crime and horror, particularly supernatural horror. I enjoyed the interplay here between the protagonist, recently released from prison, and the wealthy Londoner he starts to work for as a bodyguard.

I was hooked by the slow ramping up of danger throughout the book as the characters get more deeply entangled in the supernatural elements. I love Barker’s lyrical style and amazing use of language, and this remains one of…

From Alan's list on novels set outside of America.

Although it's generally listed as Horror, The Damnation Game is really Crime Fiction. We are introduced to the main character, Marty Strauss, as he is being released from prison on early parole, sponsored by a reclusive millionaire named Joseph Whitehead. Marty—a former semi-pro boxer—is told that he's being hired as Mr. Whitehead's bodyguard, but it soon becomes apparent that the job involves some very unsavory work. The Weird element is Mr. Whitehead's relationship with his former mentor, Mamoulian. Marty is forced to choose not only between going straight or returning to crime, but between Earth and Hell. 

If you love The Damnation Game...

Ad

Book cover of The Ballad of Falling Rock

The Ballad of Falling Rock by Jordan Dotson,

Truth told, folks still ask if Saul Crabtree sold his soul for the perfect voice. If he sold it to angels or devils. A Bristol newspaper once asked: “Are his love songs closer to heaven than dying?” Others wonder how he wrote a song so sad, everyone who heard it…

Want books like The Damnation Game?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Damnation Game.

Browse books like The Damnation Game

Book cover of The Grief Hole
Book cover of The City & the City
Book cover of Something Wicked This Way Comes

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,992

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like The Damnation Game, you might also like...

Book cover of The Inhabitants

The Inhabitants by Beth Castrodale,

Artist Nilda Ricci could use a stroke of luck. She seems to get it when she inherits a shadowy Victorian, built by an architect whose houses were said to influence the mind—supposedly, in beneficial ways. At first, Nilda’s new home delivers, with the help of its longtime housekeeper. And Nilda…

Book cover of Drawn from Life

Drawn from Life by Sarah P. Blanchard,

A life-changing tragedy. Conflicting memories. Is she a killer or a victim? Drawn From Life tells the story of a young woman driven to seek the truth about her traumatic past. As she sifts through the real and not-real landscapes of memory, she must re-examine her own agency in the…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in the supernatural, boxing, and London?

The Supernatural 377 books
Boxing 48 books
London 873 books